I’m a bit late with this post, but better late than never! Club Monaco Bloor Street Market has officially re-opened for the second summer in a row, adding a much-needed slice of greenery and good eats to the busy intersection of Bloor and Avenue. The market will stay open until the end of summer, and will house some of Toronto’s finest vendors. You can pick up the loveliest blooms from the Sweet Woodruff stall, grab a healthy and yummy lunch from Delica Kitchen, and for dessert, I highly recommend pastries from the Bake Shoppe (those pop-tarts are TDF!); there’s also frozen treats from The Pop Stand to get you through those hot summer days. If that’s not enough, you will also find Evolution Food Co cold-pressed juices, and Sam James Coffee Bar at the market.

This year, the market is definitely bigger and better – with more seating, more food options, and same “oasis-in-the-city” vibes. I’ve already stopped by a handful of times, and plan on having a few coffee dates at this lovely spot. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend a visit…and don’t forget to grab a pop-tart or two!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii. Over the years, I’ve been to many beach resorts, but Hawaii, with its volcanoes, hula skirts, and luaus, remained a dream. There were many excuses – the distance, the cost, never enough vacation days. But last year, I finally decided that it was time, and so le bf and I packed our suitcases and set off on a Hawaiian adventure.

After doing a bit of research, we decided on Maui’s Kaanapali Beach – a beautiful stretch of waterfront a stone’s throw away from Lahaina Town, Whalers Village, and Black Rock. After reading reviews for several properties, we decided on Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, and what an awesome choice it was!

We arrived at our hotel at night, jet-lagged and sleep-deprived, but from the moment we stepped inside, we knew we were going to have a great stay. Check-in was a breeze, and once we got our keys, we took a stroll through the beautiful open-air courtyard, with twinkly lights everywhere, and headed to our room. The room itself was well-appointed and very spacious. But we didn’t really appreciate its awesomeness until the next morning, when I opened the blinds and was greeted with a spectacular view of the ocean, palm trees, and the resort. The view did not get old the entire stay – each and every morning and evening I walked out on our balcony feeling grateful and in awe of the beauty we were surrounded by.

Last weekend, I took my mom to the Shangri-La Toronto to try the hotel’s latest Easter-inspired High Tea menu. Having already experienced the regular High Tea at Shangri-La last June, I had high expectations for the revamped menu. As we arrived at the Lobby Lounge, live piano music playing softly in the background, we settled into the comfy couch overlooking a fireplace, and took our time selecting our teas. Once our tea selections were made, we impatiently waited for the delicious tower to arrive. The menu promised a selection of the usual mouthwatering staples like Atlantic lobster brioche roll, honey baked ham with caramelized onion on sourdough bread, Pacific smoked salmon on dark rye, and warm English scones, with Easter-inspired additions of spiced hot cross buns, tropical Easter egg (coconut cream, mango curd and crispy meringue), and the religieuse profiterole (baked choux pastry with white chocolate orange blossom cream and lemon glaze). It all sounded and looked amazing.

I let my mom judge each plate, her enthusiasm growing with each bite. It was her first time experiencing the Shangri-La High Tea, and she was loving every minute of it. With our scones, we were served caramelized white chocolate jam, strawberry preserves and Cornish clotted cream, and I have to tell you that caramelized white chocolate jam was divine. I am not even embarrassed to share that we totally polished off the entire ramekin…with a spoon. Delicious!

By the time we got to the last plate – the prettiest of them all, we were almost hesitant to cut into the exquisite-looking desserts…almost! Of the four desserts, my favourite was the tropical Easter egg, which looked like a fried egg, but was instead a combination of delicate coconut cream, tangy mango curd, and crispy meringue. It was so good! Obviously the milk chocolate and raspberry verrine, Simnel fruit cake, and the religieuse profiterole were delicious as well. With the last dessert finished, we settled back into our comfy couch, chatting, sipping our White Rose tea, and enjoying the rest of our perfect afternoon at Shangri-La.

If you would like to try some of the limited-time offerings served at the Easter-inspired High Tea, it will be available until April 6 and is priced at CAD$42 per person or CAD$25 per child, served daily from 2-5 p.m. in the Lobby Lounge. And if that’s not enough, with the purchase of a chocolate Easter Egg ( the “Golden Egg” or “Toy Egg”) or the Easter-inspired High Tea, guests will receive a complimentary petite milk chocolate egg with the chance of receiving one of five winning ”red tickets” placed among the petite milk chocolate eggs. One winning petite chocolate egg will be revealed every other day throughout the Easter promotion period from 28 March to 6 April, 2015. “Red tickets” will signify that the person who received the petite egg has won the prize. The prize includes a tour of the pastry kitchen at Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto with pastry chef Kate Seigel for one person (the prize winner) and complimentary High Tea for a year in the Lobby Lounge of Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto for the winner and a guest (two people) once a month for twelve months (May 2015 – April 2016). Free High Tea for a year?! May the odds be ever in your favour!

This past weekend, Torontonians got a momentary respite from the snow and frigid cold, and it felt wonderful. With temperatures hitting above zero, Canadians wasted no time shedding their winter layers, walking around in light coats, and swapping those scary winter boots for the cuter fall versions. I joined in on the fun, by wearing my coat open, with light but warm layers underneath. I felt so free!

Le bf and I took a stroll aroung Yonge and Lawrence, finally making our way to Bobette and Belle for a little afternoon treat, and we loved it! The place is inviting and oh-so-very-stylish, with yummy hot drinks, and even better desserts. I’m definitely going to be back!

By the end of the day, the weather had turned, and as we were making our way home, I had to button up, pull my coat’s collar up in order to avoid the wet snow from creeping inside my coat. I guess winter’s back, but we did get a little taste of spring, even if for a day.

We are in our second week of Style Days of Christmas giveaways and today’s prize comes courtesy of TASSIMO! Who doesn’t love a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate…or even tea on a snowy evening?! Well, with TASSIMO T65 home brewer by BOSCH (valued at $249.99), you can make all of those, as well as drinks like Pumpkin Spice Latte, Peppermint Mocha, and French Vanilla Cappuccino. Entertaining during the holiday season is going to be so easy with this sleek coffee machine!

When I first heard about Queen of the Night I was definitely intrigued – a live-show that’s neither a theatre production, nor a musical, with a sexy circus twist, and an interactive dinner served in the darkness, with performers clad in Thom Browne-designed costumes? Sign me up! Well, the chance to see it all go down came up in September, when I was in New York for fashion week, and, of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Before the show, my friend and I were taken downstairs, a cocktail in hand, to spend some time exploring the venue, while the sexy butlers (who we soon found out were the night’s performers too) mingled with the crowd, luring people into secret rooms, asking some to complete a scavenger hunt in order to win a kiss. We weaved our way in and out of several rooms, checking out the intriguing decor, and watching an attendee hit on actor Bryan Greenberg in a wax-covered room. His fiance Jaimie Chung was there too; seated just behind the couple, we observed them laughing throughout the show, enjoying the performance. Celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, John Legend, Jessica Alba, and Adriana Lima, among others had enjoyed the show at The Diamond Horseshoe this year, so you never know who you’ll run into on your visit.

You may have heard of Share a Coke, or have seen the many “named” Coca Cola bottles in stores, but what you may not know is that you can actually get your very own Coca Cola can personalized with your not-so-popular name on it. Sure, you can probably find the most common names at your local grocery store, but what about the Nelias and the Hawleys of the world? Well, if your name is not on the list, you can stop by one of these locations and get your name or the name of your loved ones printed on a Coke can. Pretty cool, non?

This is not an advertorial, in case you were wondering. Growing up, I never could find a single thing with my name on it…not keychains, not t-shirts, and definitely not one of those mint boxes, so having my own personalized Coke bottle felt pretty special. So if, like me, you want to see your unusual name promptly displayed on something, now’s your chance!

Thanks to this neverending winter and the polar vortex, I’ve become a weekend hermit. Instead of going out for brunch with le bf, my friends, and family, I’ve been making crepes, picking up pastries from the nearby Jules Patisserie, and scarfing it all down at home in the comfort of my kitchen with a cup of instant coffee. Having just moved into a pretty tiny house, our kitchen counter space is a precious commodity, and until now, le bf and I could not agree on a coffee machine to invest in. It all changed when I received a brand spanking new Nespresso VertuoLine machine.

Not only does Nespresso make stylish machines that would look amazing on anyone’s kitchen counter, but their coffees are also known to be very tasty and flavourful. Not a big fan of strong espressos, I was overjoyed to find out that Nespresso finally launched a machine that can make long coffees as well as espressos to satisfy all types of coffee lovers. With larger capsules that look like little planets instead of thimbles, the new Nespresso VertuoLine machines can “whip up” a large cup of coffee with thick foamy crema in 15 seconds, making the at-home coffee brewing experience feel extra decadent, and turning anyone into an amateur barista.

Last weekend, during the Slavic festival of Maslenitsa, I decided to finally give our Nespresso VertuoLine a try. Armed with a sample pack of capsules of various flavours and intensities, and with a few friends around the breakfast table, we welcomed spring with an abundance of crepes, and delicious coffee. So fun and easy!

If you are thinking about investing in a new coffee machine, my thoughts on the new Nespresso VertuoLine are after the jump!

A few months ago I got my hands on a SodaStream machine, and it changed my life. Ok, maybe it didn’t really change my life, but it certainly changed the way le bf and I consume soft drinks and host. We no longer buy sparkling water and pop – both of those are easily made at home, using less sugar, and wasting less bottles. Entertaining is now a breeze – with fun cocktail mixes at the ready, I am able to whip up a killer mojito in no time. And it sure looks damn sleek on our kitchen counter!

The second thing I was pleasantly surprised to discover at Disneyland was all of the delicious food they have at the parks, and Disney hotels. Thinking that there would mainly be kiddo-friendly fare, I went in with low expectations, only to be blown away by all the amazing restaurants instead.

One of the first places we got to experience was the Grand Californian’sNapa Rose. A grown-ups-friendly restaurant, Napa Rose is a slice of seafood heaven in Anaheim. The freshest seafood I’ve eaten in a while, prepared in creative and absolutely scrumptious ways, this was one restaurant I would absolutely love to return to! Le bf and I got to try the scallops (yum!), mushroom bisque soup (best ever!!!), the lobster tempura tiger salad (only tried a litte bit, because SOMEONE gobbled it up before I could even say LOBSTER, but I loved the spicy kick), and other various appetizers. We were all very impressed with both the level of service, and the food. Totally unexpected, and so good. Highly, highly recommended!

Apart from Napa Rose, we’ve also eaten at another Grand Californian restaurant – Storytellers Cafe, where we had brunch with Disney characters like Chip & Dale, Miko, and more. Super cheesy, super awesome! They served an impressive selection of breakfast foods (buffet-style), complete with Mickey-shaped waffles, and made-to-order omelettes. After this breakfast, you won’t need lunch…that’s a promise!

Two more places that we loved on this trip were the Blue Bayou inside Disneyland Park, with drool-worthy short ribs and jambalaya, and Carthay Circle inside Disney California Adventure Park, with a decadent old-Hollywood glamour feel, and fantastic food to match. At Carthay, we feasted on pork dumplings, yummy ceviche, more scallops, duck wings, short rib ravioli, and risotto. So. Damn. Good.

So if you thought that Disneyland is all churros and french fries, think again. The place is chock-full of fantastic restaurants and cafes, for both kids and adults alike! Who knew?!

As for the outfit…I wore this dress to dinner at Napa Rose, and to watch the nightly fireworks at Disneyland after. We were amazed by the beautiful fireworks synchronized to our favourite Disney songs. It’s a total MUST SEE! Just make sure to get there early to grab a good seat – the place gets jam packed! But it’s so worth it!

WHAT I WORE

WHO IS NELIA?

Nelia Belkova is a Toronto-based fashion and lifestyle blogger by night and a financial analyst by day. She loves to travel, read gossip sites, eat sweets, and cuddle up to her husband and her cat on the couch. Read More…